Ian's Truth
by Miss P
Summary: Veritas refuses to give in to the sudden lust she feels for Ian until he does the one thing she can't resist. But as their feelings turn into more than attraction, will Ian be the one backing out?
1. Chapter 1

**Ian's Truth**

_By Miss P  
_

_Summary: Veritas refuses to give in to the sudden lust she feels for Ian until he does the one thing she can't resist. But as their feelings turn into more than attraction, will Ian be the one backing out?_

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters_

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**Chapter one**

Stubborn arrogant self-absorbed bastard, that was what Ian was. He was breaking the law in several ways just by walking across the room, but still she couldn't bring herself to bring him to the council even though she knew several things he was guilty of.

Veritas shot a frosty glare at the redhead vampire across the room, and received a wink in return. A sudden wave of lust washing over her so strongly that it almost made her gasp, forced her to slam her protecting shields in place before anyone else could pick up on the embarrassing emotion.

What was wrong with her? If it hadn't been for her needing Mencheres's and Bones's help, she wouldn't have stayed a second longer. It was only a few more days, then she would have the evidence she needed to bring another master vampire into justice. She would have to endure this. Maybe if she stayed away, locked herself into the guestroom, then the remaining days wouldn't be so hard on her self-control?

She knew Ian was just teasing her, and it wasn't until lately that she had even bothered to acknowledge him. Somehow it seemed she couldn't ignore him. The way he looked at her sent shivers all through her, and she hated it. Hated how he could make her feel. Hated that he could make her feel at all.

It had been so long since she had let any man affect her, and she had no interest in changing that, but even though she had tried to keep her shields up, Ian had somehow gotten through. And now, she didn't seem to be able to push him out again. To be honest, she wasn't even sure she wanted to.

Frustrated at herself, Veritas shot up from the sofa in blur of speed. She had to get away. Now. Quick movements in the room made her glance around. Her eyes widened as she realized Cat and Bones were on their feet too, knives in their hands. For a moment she didn't understand, and it wasn't until she was reaching for her own weapon that she got it. There weren't any outside threats; it was simply her rushed move that had alarmed them.

Veritas forced herself to give them a small smile. "It's nothing" she said. "Excuse me," then she went straight for the stairs intending to get far, far away.

"Do you want some company poppet?" she heard Ian's teasing voice as clear as if he had spoken into her ear. She stopped, and when she turned her head to look at him, she immediately regretted doing so. The devilish grin on his handsome face was more than she could bear. Lust slammed into her once more, making her torn between wanting to get away, and to act upon that strange need to throw herself at Ian.

"Ian, you're a pig," she heard Cat mutter.

"Could you at least try to be polite to our guest," Kira sighed. "I'm sorry Veritas."

"Oh I apologize," the tone to Ian's voice made it clear he wasn't sorry at all. He grinned at Veritas. "Can't take your eyes off of me, no? I know I'm gorgeous."

Veritas met Mencheres's apologetic eyes, before quickly turning and disappearing up the stairs.

Ian chuckled. "She's quite fetching that little vixen isn't she?"

"It would be wise to not try to provoke the law guardian Ian," Mencheres said in his usual calm demeanor.

"Come on, the lass likes it. Can't you tell?"

"We should be glad Veritas is on our side, and I do not tolerate any of you offending her in my home." Mencheres sighed. He knew Ian couldn't help himself, but he just wished he could at least try to control his impulses for a while. Was it too much to ask for?

But as he stood there, watching Ian with his hooded expression showing none of the questions that swirled in his head, he started to wonder. In fact he had picked something up from Veritas, just before she had slammed those walls around her blocking him and everyone else in the room. Did she really _like_ Ian? During all those years he had known the law guardian, she had never shown any interest in a man. At least not what he knew of?

Could Ian somehow have awoken something inside of her? It wasn't impossible; she wasn't any more different than he or any other vampire or ghoul who had fallen for someone without planning or wanting it. He should know.

"It's been an interesting day," Ian said interrupting Mencheres's musings. "I'm going to get some beauty sleep now if you don't mind."

"I do not mind."

Ian headed for the stairs, only to be stopped by Cat's voice. "Not planning to sneak into Veritas' room are you?"

"What do you think of me, reaper?" Ian said with feigned hurt in his voice. "I would never do such a thing."

Cat snorted, knowing that he would do _just_ that if he felt like it.

"Come on now Kitten, I'm sure Veritas can take care of herself."

"I know, I just don't like his attitude," Cat made no attempt to whisperer, knowing that Ian would hear her anyway. And she didn't care.

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Ian lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. If he inhaled he could almost taste Veritas scent in his mouth. Closing his eyes, he could see her glare at him, her sweet innocent face showing nothing of the deadly powers lurking beneath that soft exterior. He wondered what she would taste like if he was to trail his lips across that soft skin. Would that sharp voice of hears soften with lust as she begged him to take her?

"Bloody hell!" Ian sat up straight as he realized what he was doing. What was wrong with him? Sure the law guardian was a sexy little thing, but he couldn't possibly be thinking about her in _that_ way?

The inappropriateness of it didn't bother him, it was his reaction to her that did.

He liked teasing her, taunting her with suggestions and naughty remarks, and her horrified reactions to it only increased his will to continue. And that was all it was. It was just his style. He had fun, did what he wanted and with whom he wanted it with. But he couldn't remember the last time he'd been lying sleepless thinking about a woman. Especially not Veritas. She was way too old for him. Though age certainly looked good on her. Hell she was almost as old as Mencheres. And not to mention how powerful she was. If she wanted to, she could most likely kick his ass with barely any effort at all.

But she was strikingly beautiful and unique. If it had been mere lust, Ian wouldn't have hesitated to act upon it. He was sure it would be a great challenge to get her into his bed. If it had been nothing more than lust, he would have loved to try her. But no matter how much he tried telling himself that it was just about sex, it wasn't. He'd come to realize he cared for her. More than he had thought he was even capable of.

Despite all that, Veritas was _way_ off limits, and Ian knew _that_ was also what made the whole thing even more alluring. He'd never before wanted someone he could never have.

XxxxX

**_To be continued_**

_A/N: Aren't we all waiting for Jeaniene to write a book about Ian? I certainly am, but I'm afraid that won't happen, so I decided to make my own Ian story._

_Let me know what you think!_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: **__Thank you all for the reviews! I'm really glad you guys take the time to write a few lines. Means a lot to me : ) Certainly hope you continue doing so!_

And to the reason I've chosen Veritas as Ian's girl: I've been picturing them together ever since reading the part there Veritas kills the ghouls shooting at Ian. His comment about her then was just too good to ignore.

**Chapter two**

Veritas stood in the doorway looking out at the empty landscape ahead of her the next morning. Cat, Bones, Mencheres and Kira had gone in different directions, leaving her with Ian to watch the house until any of them would call in with news. Even though she hated to stay behind, she realized the logic in it. And it was what they had agreed on long before this day. She would stay hidden, but nearby to be ready to act once the circumstances was right. If she were seen the whole plan would be ruined. She knew all that, but it still upset her to be left with Ian of all people. Why couldn't they have taken him with them? It would have made her day a hell of a lot more comfortable while she waited.

"Admiring the view, poppet?"

Veritas felt herself stiffen at hearing his voice. She didn't turn around, but she could feel Ian coming closer, his energy brushing her senses like hundreds of feathers caressing her. A shiver rippled through her before she could stop herself.

Ian chuckled, knowing now for certain that her cold and impassive manner was just an act. "Aren't you a little liar."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Ian just smirked. "Impressive shields you have built around that little heart of yours, but it would be quite more interesting if you would drop them."

Veritas whirled around to face him, opened her mouth to snap something at him, but her voice died in her throat as she took in the way he looked. Ian wasn't wearing anything but pants that clung so tight to him it was impossible for Veritas to not notice. His pale muscled flesh looked even more tempting in its strong contrast to the black jeans that he wore dangerously low on his hips.

"Oh poppet, like what you see? No?"

Veritas forced her eyes to travel to his face, narrowing in a glare as she saw him grin knowingly. "I couldn't care less about how you look," she said in a flat voice. With that said, the wise thing would be to turn away form him, she knew that, but she just couldn't bring herself to do so. Instead she let her eyes wander from his face, down to his chest, lingering on the hard lean muscles there. Silver piercings in each nipple caught Veritas interest. How could Ian want to keep those things constantly stabbed through the most sensitive parts of him? It would have to hurt. Did he like it? Found some kind of sadistic pleasure in the pain? Veritas was aghast to realize the thought actually appealed to her. And it also made her even more intrigued by Ian.

"Is that so?" Ian taunted. "Then what is that scent coming from you, I could have sworn it was lust," he smirked. "Am I wrong?" The way he said it made it clear both of them knew that he was more than right, and there was no point in even trying to deny it.

But she did it anyway, refusing to admit anything that would damage her perfectly controlled image. "Yes you're wrong. Now leave me alone." This time she did turn away, but she could still feel Ian lingering behind her.

"Is that really what you want me to do?" the hidden meaning behind his question sent uncontrollable ripples of anticipation through Veritas. She could feel Ian move closer. He wasn't touching her, but as he leaned down to whisper in her ear, his nearness felt just as tangible as if he had. "Tell me what you really want, Veritas."

A traitorous gasp escaped her lips before she could stop herself, and she knew in that moment that Ian knew exactly how she felt. She had failed completely in hiding it, and she also knew it wasn't because she had suddenly gotten weaker or any different from her normal self, it was simply because she had never experienced feelings like this before, and she didn't know how to handle it.

"Relax poppet, you do know what that means now don't you?" Ian's hand landed on her shoulder, sending shocks of electricity through her as his skin came in contact with hers.

"Don't touch me!" the words came out as a gasping hiss, shocking Veritas with its uncharacteristically uncontrolled tone. She jerked away, shooting an accusing glare at Ian before disappearing back into the house.

As Ian came strolling back into the room himself, Veritas knew he had his mind set on one thing. He sat, leaning back in the sofa in a casual demeanor, a cocky grin playing at the corner of his lips as he kept on watching her as she stood stiffly staring through the window as if she could force time to go faster just by thinking it hard enough.

"I warn you," Veritas said, "One more move against me and I'll be…"

She was cut off. "You will do what, exactly?" he raised an eyebrow in question. "Hand me over the council? We both know you would have done that before if you truly wanted to. No more empty threats, poppet. It's not good for your image."

Veritas let out a sigh of frustration, then turned to face him. "Just because I haven't done a thing before doesn't mean I won't do it now."

"I certainly hope that also applies to more interesting things than the law," Ian said with a wink. "If you know what I mean?"

"Dream on, Ian," she snapped.

He just laughed. "I know you want me."

"Your charm is wasted on me, so stop it."

"My little vixen," Ian grinned. "You're quite tough for being such a pretty lass aren't you?"

"Shut up Ian I'm tired of your games."

"Make me."

"I won't come near you and you know that."

Ian grinned. "But you're dying to aren't you? To find out if I taste as good as I look. To feel this gorgeous skin under your fingers…"

Something inside of Veritas clenched at hearing him speak like that. She knew he was only teasing her, but she couldn't help but to be affected by it no matter how strongly she fought against it. Her eyes lingered on his bare chest once more and without her even being aware of it she licked her lips. He was right, god how she wanted to do just those things. But there was no way she would ever give in to it. She studied the piercings and for a brief moment she wondered what he would do if she flicked them just so lightly. Or… maybe not so lightly.

Ian seemed to know what she was thinking, and he grinned wickedly at her. "Those aren't the only parts I have pierced," he stated. "You're welcome to explore my body more thoroughly to find out more."

It took a moment for Veritas to realize what he meant, and when she did she was amazed at how casually he had admitted to it, and also at her own reaction to the information. If she could still blush, her cheeks would have been red by now.

"It's quite pleasurable I assure you," Ian added. "Gives just the right…"

"I get it," she cut him off before he could give any more unnecessary details. "Mencheres should call soon, are you ready to act?"

He grinned. "Oh I'm ready to _act_," he said with a wink. "But Mencheres won't call for several hours, we have plenty of time."

Veritas pretended to not understand what he had implied with those words, and stared back at him with a blank expression on her young features.

Ian knew the look of impassiveness was just an act, and he also knew she knew damn well what he had meant and he had a feeling it was taking her all she had to keep her cool façade from dropping under his knowing gaze. Damn she was a difficult woman to charm. Normally he wouldn't have any trouble getting whomever he wanted, but with Veritas, he felt like he was stuck and couldn't get forward. It frustrated him, and it also made him feel even more intrigued by her.

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**_T b c_**

_So what do you think? Love it? Hate it? Tell me! Please? ; ) _


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three**

"You need to loosen up a bit," Ian gave her a devilish grin. "Forget about the law and rules."

"And I suppose you're going to help me with that?" she almost spat at him.

"I'm more than willing to try, believe me."

"You're unbelievable," she napped, making it clear she didn't mean that as a compliment.

"Oh thank you poppet, but I already knew that."

Veritas shook her head and sighed. There was no point in even trying to have a normal conversation with Ian. He was just impossible, and so annoying at times.

Just as she was about to speak again, Ian got to his feet in a blur of speed, standing in front of Veritas in the next second. "You can't hide it form me," he almost growled, grabbing her and lifting her up so she was at the same height as he was. Before she had time to think, let alone free herself from his tight embrace, she felt Ian's lips against hers in a strong demanding kiss.

Her first thought had been to fight him off, but the moment his mouth came in contact with hers, passion slammed into her so strongly it blew her mind away. She couldn't think, only act, and she wanted Ian more than she could remember ever wanting anyone before.

Her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs around his waist as she pressed closer to him, the need building in her intensifying with every passing second.

Something in the back of her mind was telling her to stop, but that little voice wasn't strong enough to make it all the way through.

She felt Ian tug at her shirt, tearing it as he fought to get it off of her. The next thing she knew, she was being pressed down onto the sofa, Ian's body covering hers. His lips trailed kisses down her throat, stopping as he found one of her most sensitive spots there. He sucked at her skin, making her gasp in response. Ian smiled, pausing just a few seconds before biting down hard enough to draw blood. Veritas let out a cry of surprise at the sudden sharp sting but the bite didn't hurt. In some ways it even felt good. Ian didn't wait before drawing his mouth away from her neck and back to her lips. He kissed in a hungry passionate way, and she hadn't expected anything else from him. There was something raw and animalistic about Ian, that she found herself actually liking. It was the opposite of her controlled and calm ways and maybe that was what had drawn her to him in the first place.

As she felt him reaching down to unzip her pants it didn't even cross her mind to stop him. No she wanted him too much to back out now. What he was doing to her felt so wonderful it almost surprised her. And at the same time it made her wonder why she hadn't given in to him sooner.

Ian's clothes joined hers on the floor and in the next moment he was inside of her. She gasped out loud at the feel of him as he moved with strong powerful strokes. The groans and shouts coming from him only aroused her more until she was blinded by the ever increasing feeling of bliss coursing through her in strong waves. She couldn't think, and as Ian slammed into her ever harder she couldn't hold back her screams.

Ian didn't know how much time had passed and he didn't care. The law guardian in his arms was the only thing he could think of. How good she felt underneath him. How her cold and controlled façade had finally cracked as he'd kissed her. How enticing her scent was to him, and how her screams and moans sent shockwaves of pleasure all through him.

Veritas surely was worth the wait, and the struggle. He couldn't remember the last time he had fought for a woman for more than a week, it was never that hard for him to seduce someone into his bed. But with the guardian, it had seemed impossible at first. She hadn't even bothered to look at him. Now, all that seemed like ages ago. There was nothing of her icy self left, only passion and raw lust. Ian had to admit he was surprised to find this side of her, he almost hadn't thought it was possible for someone as young and innocent looking as Veritas to be capable of such roughness, but he was happy to realize she was as good in bed as she was a fighter. Strong, fierce, calculative and soft all at the same time, the perfect mix.

Ian let out a satisfied sigh. "Oh poppet," then he smiled wickedly, shifting so he wasn't lying completely on top of her. He didn't want to crush her body after all. "Was I as good as you imagined, huh?"

Veritas couldn't help but smile at that. She knew she should have been offended, or maybe mad at how arrogant he was, but at the moment she was too dazed to care. But she didn't answer either. What had he expected her to say?

Instead of speaking, she reached out to play with one of his pierced nipples. She had wondered how they would make him feel, but had forgotten to test her theories. Maybe it wasn't too late for that. Before Ian realized what she was about to do, she pinched the tiny silver jewelry and flicked it, a bit harder than she would have normally, but with Ian, she was sure he wouldn't mind.

A sharp hiss followed by a groan from him made her lips twitch. She didn't understand how he could find any silver pleasurable, but she knew now that he in some twisted way did.

"You seem awfully interested in those," Ian stated with a smirk. "Maybe you'd want to try them out?"

"Absolutely not," Veritas couldn't hide she shock from her voice. But the idea horrified her. Ian just grinned, reaching for the same piercing she'd played with and with a fast movement of his hand, he had removed it. She hadn't even seen how he'd done it; he'd been so fast.

"Ian don't…" she warned, realizing what he was intending. "Don't you dare try to…" her voice stuck in her throat and was replaced by a sharp gasp as the tiny silver piece was thrust into her own nipple instead of his. Pain shot through her but before she could even begin to scream Ian's mouth was covering the silver, his tongue flicking the jewelry and then sucking hard. The pain mixed with pleasure in an overwhelming kind of way and this time she did scream. The throbbing from that tiny silver ring spread from her breast to the rest of her body in strong pulsating waves and in that moment she understood exactly what Ian had meant when telling her how pleasurable those things actually were.

XxxxX

"I can't believe you did that," she whispered, still shivering as lingering ripples of pleasure went through her. She barely even noticed the dull throb from the silver still buried in her flesh.

"Couldn't help myself, poppet."

Veritas shook her head, but a small smile tugged at her lips. Then her face suddenly turned serious as she remembered something. "You don't think we could have missed Mencheres's call do you?

Ian raised an eyebrow. "I thought Mencheres was the last one you'd be thinking of now, you don't wish him to join us now do you?"

"No," Veritas sighed. "But I do have a responsibility. I won't let him down."

"Don't worry poppet, he hasn't called."

Veritas untangled herself from Ian to finally sit up. She fetched her mobile from the floor, not trusting Ian to have heard whether it had rung or not. It hadn't.

"What is taking them so long?" she muttered.

"You can't say you regret the delay."

Veritas let out a small laugh. "No, I can't say that." Ian was so surprised to hear her laugh; he couldn't even come up with a reply. Instead he simply stared at her, feeling his own lips curve in a smile as well.

XxxxX

_**T b c**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter four**

Another hour went by and there was still no word from Mencheres or Bones. Having a feeling of something not being right, Veritas was just about to call either of them. She didn't have time to even grab the phone before a loud explosive noise came from the back of the house. One look at Ian who had been looking through the living room window confirmed what she had already suspected. They had been set up. While Mencheres and Bones along with their spouses were away, the attack was directed straight at the house. Straight at _her_. Obviously someone knew she was there, and she was sure that someone also knew what she and Mencheres had planned.

Ian had stuck several knives into his pants and was a holding a sword, so was she as they waited for whatever was about to happen. They didn't have to wait long. Only seconds later the room filled with vampires coming from every angle at them. The loud banging sound had been someone blowing a hole through the back wall of the house, and whoever was behind this had obviously been doing it from a great distance, or he had been cloaking his powers so either of them had felt him coming.

There was no time to hesitate, only act. They were outnumbered, but they weren't helpless. Veritas saw Ian shoot forward in a blur of motions, hacking away with his sword.

But before she joined him in the fight, she tried something different. "You are attacking a law guardian," she called out. "You will all be sentenced to death if you don't stop right away."

Several of the men laughed at her. "Not if you die first," one of them sneered.

"Not so tough now are you, guardian?" another man mocked.

For a short moment Veritas was stunned no one seemed to listen to her. What was wrong with these people? How could they openly declare war against the law guardians? But then it hit her. They weren't, they were just after her. And they were right, if she was killed, there would be no evidence of who did it, not in a group this big. And she was sure they hadn't planned for Ian to be alive to tell either.

How convenient that Mencheres wasn't there, they had clearly seen to that too, making sure the mega master was nowhere near when they attacked, because with him there his powers would kill them all with just a flick of his mind.

Now there was no time to try to reach him either, all she could do was join Ian in the fight and hope they came out of it alive.

Several minutes later, five vampires was killed, but there was at least ten more and though both Veritas and Ian was alive, they weren't unharmed. A sudden sharp pain in her back, made Veritas whip around, only to reveal two more vampires coming into the room, and they had guns. The searing pain in her back made it clear the guns contained silver bullets as well. Before she had time to warn Ian, she heard him scream. In her peripheral view she saw him stagger before remaining control, but three bleeding holes across his side and stomach let her know he had been hit as well.

Anger made her charge forward, hitting the vampire so hard he dropped the gun. And the next thing he lost was his heart, as her knife stabbed through it. She kicked out at the other gunned vampire, knowing she had to take him out before she got shot again. But before she could reach him, another bullet hit her head. Agony blasted through her and for a few precious seconds she couldn't see. Her whole body felt numb and she could barely keep her balance, but then just as fast the injury began healing. It was too late though, a third bullet hit her chest so close to her heart that for a few seconds she was convinced it would kill her.

Ian had killed three more of them when he heard Veritas let out another scream. Shoving a knife through another heart bought him enough time to throw her a quick glance, and what he saw almost made him stop everything. It felt like time stood still as he stared at her. Her face was twisted in pain and when he thought she was about to fall, another bullet hit her chest. The few seconds that had distracted her was enough for another attacker to strike, shoving a knife into her side. Before Ian could think, he threw the knife he was holding, watching with grim satisfaction as it hit the vampires' heart.

"Veritas?" he called out. She didn't respond. Ian felt a strange sense of coldness spread through him. Was it fear? He didn't know, and he didn't have time to wonder about it either. There were still several more vampires to kill, and by the looks of if, Veritas didn't seem strong enough to fight anymore. It worried and stunned him all at once. He had never seen her give up, so why was she looking so tired now? Her movements' suddenly slower than her usual blur and the pain radiation off of her was almost tangible.

A knife slammed into his back, and he had the vampire by its neck in the next instant. Before either of them could even blink, the man dropped lifeless to the floor.

It was then Ian felt it; the knife was ripped out of his flesh as he had turned on the vampire, but the pain lingered. In fact it grew more intense when in should have lessened instead.

"No," he growled, realization hitting in the next moment. The knife had been poisoned with liquid silver. He had seen it before, when Crispin had fought Gregor, but he had never felt it himself. His eyes darted to Veritas, and he didn't doubt she was having the same kind of silver spreading through her. Maybe even from more than one stab, by the looks of her weakened condition.

Her whole body was throbbing and burning as the silver spread, but she couldn't give up now no matter how much it hurt. They were so close to winning, only a few vampires stood in their way. But it was so hard to even move, the slightest movements of her body send waves of agony all through her, and she was so tired.

One glance at Ian made her realize she wasn't the only one suffering. But he had not stopped fighting, and she would be damned if she was the weak one. Anger gave her new energy, and she picked up one of the knives, throwing it at a vampire closing in on Ian. One more down, three to go.

A few more strikes and Ian had the number down to two. The second knife he threw missed, and the vampire came crashing into him instead, their bodies tumbling to the floor from he sudden impact. And just as fast the second vampire standing used the opportunity to advance on him as well, a bloodied knife glistening in his hand…

One word echoed in Veritas' head as she watched them struggle. No…

She forced herself to move, doing her best to ignore the pain and move forward. Ian was in no condition to fight two strong vampires while injured. She wasn't either, she realized with sinking feeling, but she was not going to let that stop her from trying.

The last of her knives sunk into the vampires' heart just in time to keep him from stabbing Ian. But she wasn't fast enough to pull away from the last vampire reaching for her. And she wasn't strong enough to fight his hold of her as he pulled her away with him.

"Drop your knife," the man hissed at Ian. "Or I'll kill her."

Ian hesitated. He knew that it wouldn't matter what he did, the vampire would stab Veritas straight in the heart anyway. What if he threw his knife? Could he take the vampire out and save her at the same time? But what if he missed? It wasn't his weapon, and whoever had brought it had probably poisoned it with liquid silver as well.

He dropped the knife, kicking it away.

The moment the vampire reached for it though, Veritas shoved her fist into his skull with enough force to knock him over. Ian couldn't help but smile. But the feeling of joy was short-lived though. If she hadn't been so weakened, he was sure a blow like that would have killed the vampire right then and there, but he recovered too fast for Ian to reach him even though he threw himself at him with all of his remaining strength. Hearing Veritas gasp as the final knife buried into her heart felt like a stab to his own heart as well.

For a brief moment everything stood still. He couldn't take his eyes off of her as she sunk to the floor. No. She couldn't be dead. It couldn't end like this. Anger slammed into Ian so strongly he couldn't hold back a scream as it filled him. The vampire still alive made his move, no doubt thinking he had won, even though he was the last one of his team standing. In blind rage, Ian reached for the nearest weapon, and swung it at the attacker. The sword he had grabbed sliced through the vampire's upper body, cutting his heart in two.

Ian slowly turned to look at Veritas. She was still lying lifeless, a sea of blood and bodies all around her. He crawled up to her, carefully grabbing the knife and slid it out just as gently. She wasn't dead. Ian gently rolled her over so she was lying on her back. Her eyes fluttered opened and she smiled a weak smile. "We did it."

Ian smiled too, sighing with relief. "We sure did," he grinned. "But I have to say, poppet, you look horrible."

She snorted. "So do you," she moved to sit up, but a fresh wave of pain shot through her so forcefully it almost knocked her out and she sunk back to the floor with a grimace. "Liquid silver… several knives," she whispered, not able to keep her voice from trembling.

Ian nodded knowingly. "I bloody know. Got one in me too." And he thought _he_ was hurting from simply one shot of liquid silver. Veritas had endured several and she'd still fought until there was no one left of their attackers. That alone proved how strong she truly was.

XxxxX

**_T b c_**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter five**

Ian was just about to start digging the silver out of her side when the unmistakable power radiating off of Mencheres suddenly caught his attention. It took a while until he could sense the rest of their energies but they were all there, coming home too late to stop the bloodbath, but in time to clean up the mess that was still everywhere.

"Bloody hell, what happened in here?" Bones voice drifted into the room before he did. Mencheres didn't speak, but the grim look on his face spoke louder than any words could have.

"Holy crap!" Cat exclaimed next, followed by a low gasp coming from Kira.

"Ian?" Bones asked, taking in the scene. Ian was still on the floor, holding a knife to Veritas' side but it wasn't Ian that Bones' eyes lingered on. It was Veritas, who was still lying next to him, her eyes closed and not a muscle moving underneath her bloody and torn clothes.

Mencheres knelt next to them, not needing to ask what had happened. The hole in the wall behind them, and the mass of dead bodies on the floor told him that.

"Veritas?" he asked the guardian. "Can you hear me?"

"Of course, I'm not deaf." Veritas opened her eyes, giving the Egyptian vampire a faint smile. "I'm just trying to be very still so the silver won't hurt so badly."

Mencheres frowned, not yet understanding. "Silver?"

"Bloody sods attacked us with liquid silver," Ian informed him. "We're lucky to still be alive," he admitted.

"They blew a hole in the wall?" Cat asked irrelevantly.

"Bloody hell," Bones muttered. "We were set up."

"The question is why?" Mencheres mused.

"Seems to me someone wanted us all out," Cat threw a look at Mencheres. "Especially him with his mega powers, but why would anyone want to kill Ian, and Veritas?" Cat frowned, and then added. "I'll take that back. I'm sure there are lots of people who'd want to kill Ian."

Ian snorted. "You hurt my feelings, reaper."

Cat just shrugged. "I'm sure you'll get over it."

"I'd suggest you all shut up and start to dig this silver out of us instead." Veritas shot in, clearly annoyed at being ignored.

"Sorry," Cat grabbed one of her knives. "I'll take Ian," she grinned, seemingly enjoying getting to cut into him.

"Ah poppet, are you that eager to put your hands on me?"

"Shut up Ian," Cat snapped. "Or I'll shove this knife somewhere where the sun doesn't shine."

"Sorry but I've have enough of knives for one day, will you take a rain check on that?"

Frustration made Cat shove the knife deeper into Ian's flesh than necessary. He grimaced, but kept still and quiet. Veritas wasn't making any kinds of sounds as Mencheres worked on her, and if she could do it, so could he.

After what seemed like an eternity later, they were finished. Bones and Kira had begun piling the remains of the dead vampires and cleaning up the blood. The hole in the wall would have to wait a little longer to be fixed though.

"They were after me, they must have known I was here and what we were planning. Someone did a good job in trying to stop us," Veritas spoke from where she was sitting on the sofa.

Mencheres stopped what he was doing and stared at her. "Why were they after you?"

"I don't know. But I got the feeling they were already picturing me, and Ian dead."

"Why Ian?" Bones asked.

"He just happened to be here. It was me they wanted."

"That doesn't make any damn sense!" Cat added. "Why you, you're not the only law guardian. If they'd killed you, there would still be plenty of guardians coming after them."

"Cat has a point," Mencheres had to agree. "Is there something you are not telling us, Veritas?"

It took a while until she spoke again, and that silence alone proved to Mencheres that he had been right. He just wished he knew what it was she was hiding.

"No, not that I can think of," she finally said, meeting Mencheres's gaze without flinching.

Ian who had been surprisingly silent, spoke up. "There wouldn't be any guardians coming after them if she wasn't alive to tell any of them, now would there?"

"That is another good point," Mencheres agreed. "But there is something that is not right."

"Yeah for starters, it was a suicide mission, from what I see here they went all in. Why kill her if they had just expected to die too. That would be pointless!" Cat said. "There has to be someone who's the brain behind this. Someone who sent this… army of vamps to kill Veritas. And for that order to stick, they must've had a damn good argument."

"Kitten, I think you're on to something."

"So do I." Mencheres said thoughtfully. "The frame job," he mused. He turned to the guardian. "If they had expected you to bring them to justice for selling young vampires to ghouls, would stopping you get rid of the threat? Were you the only law guardian knowing about this business?"

If that were the case, it would have been a good reason for attacking. And also for fooling them. Mencheres and the rest of the team had been sure to stick to the plan, they would be following ghouls lurking around suspicious parts of the town in hope to find the vampires who sold their own kind to the highest bidding flesh eaters. Once they'd found what they were looking for, they would have called Veritas for backup and she would have had the evidence she needed to take the case to the council.

The reason they'd act as spies had been simple. If a ghoul saw one of them around, it wouldn't be very suspicious, but if they saw a law guardian, the ghouls would run for it and no evidence would be extracted.

But if the master vampire behind all this knew their plan all along, he would have sent his people straight to Mencheres's house, where he knew Veritas would be waiting. Not too far away to not arrive in time, but not to close to cause suspicion either…

"Yes." Veritas said at last. Cat stared at her, for a moment not understanding what she was talking about, then it hit her, and she narrowed her eyes.

"Mencheres is right," she blurted. "You are hiding something, or else why would you keep something like this from your colleagues?"

Veritas shot her a frosty look, but didn't speak. Cat was just about to open her mouth to say something snappy, when she felt Bones's hand on her shoulder. She knew what that meant, and she clamped her mouth shut, even though she had plenty to say.

"I think we should all get some sleep, and then we can continue this conversation tomorrow?" Kira suggested.

"That is a good idea, darling," Mencheres replied immediately.

"Yeah, Kitten, there's nothing more we can do here anyway, at least not right now." Bones threw a look at Ian, the corners of his mouth twitching as he fought back the smile tugging at his lips. "I'm sure you want to _sleep_ too, right mate?" Then he started to walk toward the stairs. "Comin' Kitten?" As he walked past by the sofa there Veritas sat, he winked at her.

Cat caught the weird action, and frowned. She waited though until she and Bones were back in their room until she brought it up. "Why did you wink at Veritas?" she asked straight out. No need to be beating around the bush.

"No special reason Kitten."

XxxxX

**_T b c_**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter six**

Ian felt awkward as he stood staring at Veritas the next morning. The confusion flashing across her young features made him want to hold her, and to run away at the same time. How could things have gotten so crazy? He had no idea of how to handle any of this.

"I need answers," she said in her usual flat voice. "I need to know if what happened yesterday meant anything to you."

Ian almost squirmed under her gaze. "Sure it did, we had plenty of fun."

"Fun?" Veritas snapped.

"Yes fun, poppet what did you expect?"

Veritas stared up at him for a long time. Was that all she had been to him. Some fun? She didn't know whether she should feel relieved, or sad. She had tried so hard to ignore the feelings that had suddenly and unexpectedly surfaced, but Ian had broken down those walls she had built around herself. And once she had given in to him and to her feelings for him, once she had admitted to herself that it was more than just attraction, she had felt good about doing so.

Had it been a mistake? Did Ian just see her as someone he'd wanted to _shag_, as he'd put it? She couldn't stand the thought of that. Even though admitting to wanting more still upset her too.

"Is that all I was, a convenience? Someone you play with and throw away once you got what you wanted. Was it all about sex?" Veritas was shocked to realize her calm controlled voice had broken and as she finished speaking she was almost shouting at him.

Ian flinched, feeling a stab of pain shoot though him as that look of disbelief briefly flitted across her pretty face. But he pushed that feeling aside, not wanting to think of it now, maybe not ever. He had felt something for Veritas, something that went far beyond any physical attraction or sex. But he had hoped that it would go away once he'd satisfied his curiosity of whether the law guardian would fall for his charms or not. And she had, after a lot of hard work. As he stared down at her now though, he almost wished he had listened to whoever it had been telling him to leave Veritas alone. She wasn't worth this complication. So why had he done it?

Frustration made Ian speak without thinking it through. "So what if sex was all I wanted. I can't seem to remember hearing you complaining about it yesterday, so don't give me a bloody lecture now."

Veritas stared at him in disbelief. Then her face hardened and she shook her head. "I'm certain that Mencheres can handle it from here. I'm leaving."

"Poppet," Ian called after her, but she didn't stop or even turn around.

"You handled that exceptionally well, mate," Bones sarcastic voice was the last thing that Ian wanted to hear at the moment. But he turned, sighing as Bones' made his way up to him.

"Nothing makes a woman happier than hearing she was nothing but a casual shag, bloody hell Ian what were you thinking?" Bones snorted, but couldn't help but smile at his sires' dumbfounded expression.

"I'm not in the mood Crispin," Ian growled, walking past Bones hoping to be left alone if he exited the room. He didn't even need to ask to know that Bones had been standing there the whole time. So he knew now. That didn't change anything.

"Lucifer's bouncing balls," he heard Bones say. "I can't bloody believe it!"

His words made Ian stop and glare at him. "What now?"

"You're _in love_ with her," Bones stated. "And I can bet my undead arse that she feels the same, or else she wouldn't have flown out of here reeking of disappointment."

Ian seemed to have lost the ability to speak as he kept on staring at Bones. Love? No, he couldn't be in _love_ could he? That had never happened before, and it certainly couldn't be happening now, especially not with Veritas. But when Bones had pointed it out, he knew deep down that he was right, even though he refused to acknowledge it at the moment. It didn't matter that the feelings was like a stranger to him, in his heart he knew Veritas had come to mean so much to him in such a short time. And even if he'd wanted to he wouldn't have been able to banish those feeling. It didn't matter that he didn't want to love Veritas, and he truly didn't, his heart had for once taken the front seat. He hated it, be couldn't hide from it either.

"Why are you denying it?" Bones asked. "It's not that bad you know."

Ian snorted. "Of course you'd say that, you're shagging the red reaper."

"I loved Cat long before she even dared to say the word _shag_, let alone do it. You see mate, loving someone has nothing to do with sex, it goes so much deeper than that."

"I can't say I agree."

"Is that so?" Bones raised an eyebrow in question. "Then why does it bother you so much that Veritas is thinking she was nothing more than pussy to you."

Ian let out an annoyed snort. "Isn't that a bit harsh even for you Crispin?"

"I'm just being honest mate."

Cat's voice reached them before she appeared in the doorway. "Who's nothing more than pussy to you Ian?"

XxxxX

**_T b c_ **: )


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter seven**

Ian couldn't help but cringe at hearing Cat's voice. Normally he wouldn't have minded her witty remarks, but now he was not in the mood.

"Go away reaper," he snarled.

"Well good morning to you too."

Bones couldn't hold back a laugh. "This is something I thought I'd never see," he chuckled. "Ian you should see the look on your face."

"You do look a bit weird," Cat agreed. "Is that embarrassment I feel from you?" the disbelief was so evident in her voice Ian had to roll his eyes.

"Certainly isn't."

"Where's Veritas?" Cat suddenly asked. "I thought I'd heard her here."

Bones shot Ian an amused grin, before looking at his wife. "She left Mencheres to handle the situation, appears Ian here said some things to her that she didn't like to hear."

Cat shot Ian an accusing glare. "Why am I not surprised," she muttered. Then her eyes widened as she suddenly got the meaning behind that wink last night. And before that, Bones's weird comment about Ian wanting to get some _sleep_.

"Oh Ian you didn't?" she exclaimed. "Tell me you didn't sleep with Veritas."

"That's none of your business."

Cat sighed. "We needed her on our side, and you threw all that away for a few minutes of pleasure. You're disgusting!"

"I can assure you poppet, it was a lot more than a few minutes."

Cat wanted to scream in frustration. "She's a law guardian for god's sake," she said instead. "Don't you have any respect?"

"Kitten, don't be so quick to judge him, you don't have the whole story."

"What more is there to know except the fact that he's a …"

"I bloody love her, is that a good enough answer for you reaper?" Ian snapped. "Now leave me alone, both of you," he turned so fast he slammed into Mencheres who had managed to sneak up on them without being heard. And for once the Egyptian vampire had a look of pure surprise on his face.

"Get out of my way," Ian threw up his hands in frustration, but when Mencheres didn't move quickly enough Ian grabbed him and shoved him aside and then stomped off into the other room.

Cat stared after him, mouth hanging open in a not so attractive way. Even Mencheres seemed to be at a loss for words as he stood there staring back at her with a look of disbelief on his face. If that look was from what he'd heard Ian say, or the fact that he had been roughly shoved aside Cat couldn't tell. She had a feeling _that_ didn't happen to him very often.

It was Bones who broke the tension by laughing. "Can't remember the last time I've seen him so agitated," he chuckled. "There must be more to Veritas than I've seen. Bloody hell, I wish Charles was here to see this."

It took more time for Cat to recover from the shock, but when she could finally find her voice, she didn't know what to say.

"He _loves_ Veritas?" she finally managed to ask. "No wonder she ran off, I would too if…" her voice trailed off as she took in the last piece of information by the look on her husbands face. Her eyes widened as she stared back at him. "She feels the same." It was a statement, not a question. "I can't believe it!" Cat shook her head, feeling an astonished sort of smile tug at her lips. Then, the smile turned into a frown. "Wait, if that's true, then why did she leave?"

"Appears Ian wasn't handling it so well," Bones began. "He kind of told Veritas she…"

"…was nothing more than pussy to him," she interrupted, remembering walking in hearing Bones saying that, but hadn't known what it meant. Now she knew exactly why Veritas had left. Hell, she would have too if she'd been in her place.

"Gosh I'm surprised Ian's still alive," she shook her head at the absurdity of the situation. "I bet Veritas is really pissed."

"I do not believe she would be mad at Ian," Mencheres spoke up for the first time since he'd entered.

"Why not?"

"Hurt, yes, but mad, no, not if it is true and she loves him."

Cat sighed, finding no point in arguing with Mencheres about something he probably knew a lot more about than she did. "Well," she began. "There is not much we can do about this. We should focus on the vampire ghoul market thingy, and since Veritas is gone, you're the boss Mencheres."

"Funny how she asks you for help, then takes off letting you do all the hard work," Bones remarked.

"That is not like Veritas at all. I believe she will be back soon."

XxxxX

The group had gathered in the library, discussing ideas and strategies, but still lacking information made it hard to come up with anything useful.

"I don't understand," Kira said. "Veritas asks us to help her catch this vampire, but she won't tell us all the details we need to know, and then she leaves. It's seems a bit unfair that she won't even stay to help, since we're all doing her a favor."

Mencheres gave her hand a gentle squeeze, letting her know without speaking that he would tell her everything once they were alone.

"You can thank Ian for that," Cat muttered.

"Why, what did he do?" Kira asked curiously.

Cat was just about to reply, when Mencheres held up a hand in a gesture for silence. Then he smiled a small smile. "Veritas is back, I told you she would come."

XxxxX

**_T B C_**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter eight**

Hearing that Veritas had come back made Ian's head snap up, his whole body stiffened with something he barely recognized, but realized was nervousness. Before he could prepare for whatever was about to happen, the blonde vampire appeared in the doorway.

Her face was hard and emotionless, and she looked straight at Mencheres. "I apologize for leaving. I shouldn't have."

"It is okay," Mencheres said, his face equally blank.

"I have some information that would interest you." She looked around briefly, her eyes lingering a few seconds too long at Ian before quickly turning back to Mencheres.

Cat threw a glance at Ian, realizing the seat next to him was the only empty space. A sudden wave of pity flitted across her conscious as she also realized why Veritas was still standing. Moving to sit on Bones' lap instead, she gestured for the law guardian to take her place.

Veritas sat, throwing Cat a look that might have been thankful. It was hard to tell.

Ian listened as Veritas spoke. Her sharp voice a constant reminder of what he had done. There was nothing but her usual cold tone to the words she spoke now, but he could so easily recall how she had almost shouted at him before, her carefully controlled façade cracking with hurt and disbelief.

And as she had turned and walked away, Ian had felt the strangest feeling of loss. As if something very important in his life had been taken away. It had stunned him then, but now he knew what it meant. Bones had made him realize just what it was he was going through. Love. The word felt foreign to him, and he didn't want to learn anything more about it. It was already complicating his careless reckless existence. And he had been so happy with the way he spent his days.

"I wasn't always a law guardian, and I… know some things that I don't want to be common knowledge. That's why I cannot tell the council about this until I have all the evidence," she finished.

Mencheres nodded thoughtfully. "You are protecting someone," it was a question, but the way he said it made it sound like a statement instead.

"As I said I cannot tell you anything more right now."

"You can trust us, you do know that."

She nodded, but the second of hesitation before she did made it clear she wasn't convinced. Or maybe it was just some of the people she didn't trust.

"They will know we're after them this time," Bones said. "But we will find them. Cat and I will start by following up on some leads."

Veritas nodded. "I'll leave now, Mencheres will you call me as soon as you find anything. Even if it doesn't lead anywhere, I want to know."

He nodded. "Of course, but Veritas, you do not have leave. You are welcome to stay here."

"I appreciate that, but I'm not staying."

"Veritas," Ian spoke up. "Poppet I hope it is not because of me you're not staying."

Her eyes darted to him, narrowing in a frosty glare, before turning away. "Don't flatter yourself," she snapped without looking at him. As she left the room, she could hear Bones's sigh, Cat's snort and the unmistakable scent of sadness coming from Ian.

It made her slow down, her icy heart melting with an ache to go back. She stopped, but didn't turn. It wouldn't change anything, but oh how she wanted it to.

She felt him come up behind her long before he touched her shoulders. For a few seconds she let herself enjoy the feel of those strong hands on her skin, but then she stepped away.

"Don't!" she snapped. "You have no right to touch me like that." She turned to look up at him at last. "I want you to leave me alone."

"You don't mean that," Ian's voice had turned hoarse with emotion. "I know what you really want me to do to you," that familiar smirk was back on his lips and Veritas was torn between wanting to smack him, and kiss him.

"I refuse to be your sex toy Ian, so if that's what you want then you can go to hell."

Ian almost flinched at hearing the venom in her voice. And her words struck him like silver through his heart. He was so stunned he didn't even notice the surprised gasp from Kira as she finally got the answers to her unspoken questions.

"I'm not going anywhere," Ian said at last.

Veritas immediately opened her mouth to speak back to him, but before she could even begin forming words, Ian had grabbed her and yanked her to him so hard the impact would have taken her breath away if she'd still been breathing. His mouth was on hers in the next moment, his hands ripping at her clothes in a desperate need to feel her skin under his hands. He'd meant what he'd said. He was not going anywhere, and neither was she if he had anything to say.

"Stop," Veritas ripped herself free from Ian's arms and backed away. "Didn't you hear me before?"

"Oh I heard you but…" Ian made another attempt to grab her, before planning to speak the next words, but to his utter surprise she struck out, hitting his face with her fist so hard he tumbled into nearest wall before he could even reach her.

"You discourteous egotistical freak," she spat. "I _will_ kill you if you try anything more with me. Do you understand?"

Ian stared at her with a mix of astonishment and amusement. "Now, aren't you a little vixen?" he grinned. "I have to say, poppet, you look quite fetching when you're mad."

Veritas stared back at him, keeping her face blank and her body motionless. She would not give him the satisfaction of knowing how much he had upset her.

But as he started toward her again, seemingly not afraid of her threat at all, she felt anger take over. No one dared to defy her and people certainly didn't ignore her when she threatened to kill them. She wasn't just older than most vampires and therefore more powerful than the average undead, but she was also the law. Defying her, meant defying the law, and she couldn't stand by and let that happen.

Veritas grabbed the knife she'd had tucked into her pants in blur of motions, holding it out in front of her daring Ian to come any closer. "Let's see how much you like it when you're dead," she snapped.

Ian actually stopped then, the cocky grin on his face slowly turning into disbelief.

XxxxX

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter nine**

They stood staring at each other for a long time. Ian's face held a look of surprise and disbelief, and the law guardians features had hardened into an angry mask as she glared back at him, the knife held out in front of her, daring Ian to come any closer.

"I do not mean to interfere," Mencheres suddenly said, as if it wasn't obvious he had been listening the whole time. He came to stand behind Ian. "But this has to stop, now."

Ian shot him an annoyed glare, only to receive a calm calculating look in return. He frowned, wondering briefly why the Egyptian vampire actually _had_interfered. Mencheres wasn't the type to willingly join in on a personal quarrel, so his reasons must be good.

Did he think Veritas would actually kill him? She wouldn't do that, Ian couldn't picture her capable of such a thing. But he knew he was most likely wrong. If pushed too far, maybe Veritas would do it, either to prove a point, or because she believed he truly was just another 'sexoholic' that wanted to get into her pants.

Ian turned his gaze back to Veritas. Sure, she could stab him right then and there and get away with it. She had the whole vampire law system backing her up. Not even Mencheres would be able to act in his defense.

"Veritas, before you kill him, there is something you should know," Bones came to stand next to Ian. "Though I have to admit, he has quite an odd way of showing it, Ian's in love with you." he said it so casually that for a moment Ian was wondering if he had imagined hearing it. But as he saw the vague flicker of confusion on Veritas' face, he knew he had been hearing it right. He turned on Bones, fast and furious, but the other vampire had predicted his action and jumped aside just in time to avoid Ian's hand as it shot forward to grab his throat.

"You bloody idiot," Ian snarled.

Bones just chuckled. "Come on now mate, it was obvious you were never going to say it yourself. And by the looks of her," he threw a sideways glace at Veritas. "It seemed like she was ready to stake you at any second. You should be thankful."

"Like hell I should," Ian muttered.

"Talk to her, and try to be a little more tactful now will you?" Bones turned to Mencheres. "Grandsire?"

Mencheres nodded in silent agreement, then they both disappeared back into the room they'd come from.

Ian slowly turned to face Veritas. She had tucked away the knife and was staring up at him with a look that demanded answers. Ian almost cringed, but shoved the awkwardness aside and strode up to her.

"Veritas," he began, reaching out to take one of her hands in his. "Come with me." He didn't want an audience for what he was about to do. And he knew that by staying where they were, eight undead ears would hear every little word he'd say. Hell, they would probably hear him anyway, but at least another part of the house would give them the illusion of privacy.

XxxxX

Weeks passed and there was no news about the vampire they were tracking. But Veritas used the case she was on as an excuse to stay. It was clear everyone in the house already knew Ian was the real reason for her to stick around, but the council didn't, and she didn't want to explain. The problem was, she couldn't explain the other reason either. Not in detail anyway.

Just when she felt like giving up her phone rang and by the sound of it, it was Mencheres.

"Yes?"

"We need you here, come fast and be sure no one follows you." He spoke in a low voice, giving her an address before hanging up just as fast. For a few seconds, Veritas just stared at the phone, then she shot up from her chair so fast it tipped over. She didn't stop to put it back in its right place.

"Ian," she called out and didn't wait for him to enter the room before continuing. "Mencheres called, I'm going."

Ian grabbed her just in time to stop her from disappearing through the front door. "Wait, I'm going with you."

She wanted to protest, but didn't. For starters he wouldn't listen, and second, she liked the idea of him being there when she faced the vampire she had been searching for so long, even though she realized the stupidity of that feeling.

She gave him a short nod, then she took off into the sky, Ian following behind.

When they reached the address Mencheres had given her, they slowed down and flew lower to be able to see more clearly. They landed on the roof of an old abandoned garage, and jumped down to street level without making a sound.

Veritas was just about to start toward the door of the warehouse Mencheres had given her the address to, when she felt Ian's hand on her arm. She stopped, looking at him in silent question.

Ian gave her an equally silent smile, pulling her to him, Veritas let him hold her for a little while, then she pulled away, reaching up to place a quick kiss on his lips.

When she turned and opened the door to the warehouse, she was smiling. But as she stepped into the darkened room, the smile died on her lips. Three vampires were on the floor, two obviously already dead, one still alive but held motionless by Mencheres powers. Two ghouls were also on the floor, headless and very dead.

"Xander," Veritas voice was as cold as ice and her face hardened with controlled anger as she strode up to the vampire on the floor. She looked up at Mencheres. "Let him up," she ordered.

Mencheres made no obvious move, but suddenly Xander crawled away from him, standing but not running.

"Where is she?" Veritas demanded.

The tall vampire seemed to be considering playing oblivious, but realized it wouldn't work.

"Stella, come," he barked.

A small angelic looking girl came into view. Her blonde hair as white as snow, and eyes so blue they looked almost surreal.

Ian's eyes widened as he stared at the girl. She looked even younger than Veritas, but he had a feeling that their ages didn't differ so much. And she wasn't a vampire, either. All of that surprised him, but what was most stunning was how much alike Veritas and the girl looked.

"Stella," Veritas almost whispered. "I thought you were dead."

"Veritas," the blonde smiled, making her look even younger, almost childlike. "I thought I'd never see you again." Her voice cracked and tears spilled out of her eyes.

"You're safe now. You will come with me," Veritas said, shooting a glare at the tall vampire. "Let her go."

Mencheres and Bones exchanged confused glances. To them, the girl was nothing more than an ally to the Vampire in front of them. They already had proof she had been assisting Xander in his affairs. So why was Veritas acting so strange?

"As you wish, guardian. Take her, I've had enough of her shape shifting tricks anyway." Three sets of eyebrows shot up at hearing him confess so casually to what Stella really was, but Veritas didn't look surprised.

The next thing happened so fast not even Mencheres would have had time to slam his powers on the other vampire to stop him. As Xander had shifted so he faced Stella, he suddenly held a knife in his grip, ebony white all the way from its short handle to its blade.

Veritas realized what was about to happen in the same moment that Xander exploded in blur of movement. She screamed, throwing herself at the vampire, but she hadn't been fast enough. The knife buried into one of Stella's eyes before Veritas could knock Xander away. He slammed into the back wall so hard it broke.

But it was too late.

Veritas watched in horror as Stella slowly started to shrink and soon there was nothing left but her bones. She stared at them, a numb feeling spreading inside of her. No… she repeated the word over and over in her mind. No. This was not how it was supposed to happen. Stella couldn't be dead now. She had just found her. How could faith be so cruel? Why give her back to her just to rip her away just as fast?

XxxxX

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter ten**

"Veritas?" Ian's voice was like a rope hauling her back to reality. She blinked away the tears that had risen in her eyes before looking up, briefly meeting Ian's confused gaze before looking away. And as her eyes fell on Xander who had recovered from the blow, and stood a few meters away, the numbness inside of her was replaced by cold and deadly rage.

"You will die," there was so much hatred in her voice that she even surprised herself. But she didn't care. All that mattered to her now was this man standing in front of her, and he needed to die for what he had done.

"Veritas, don't," Mencheres warned, guessing what she was about to do. "You need him alive. Let the council sentence him. Without him, we will have no more proof."

Her hand trembled as it held the knife to Xander's chest. All she needed to do was to push it in and he would be nothing more than a crumbling piece of dirt on the floor. How she wanted that. It was the least she could to avenge Stella's death.

But Mencheres was right. She backed away, reining all of her overflowing emotions back to lock them away behind the walls she quickly rebuilt around her heart.

"You will be brought to the law guardians," she said in a flat voice. "Then you will be sentenced to death for your part in selling vampires to the ghouls."

Xander didn't look happy about that, and it was then it hit her. He had wanted to be killed right away, to get off easy. That's why he had killed Stella, to provoke Veritas into action. The thought angered her so much she could barely keep herself from screaming out loud. The coward had known the game was over, and sought death to get out of facing the law.

Veritas shook her head in disgust, giving the vampire one last look before turning to leave.

"Didn't you forget something?" Bones called out.

She stopped. "Not now," she said flatly. "He can wait." And he could. She knew she would have to finish the job, but right now she couldn't even stand being in the same room as Xander.

She felt Mencheres use his power to secure the vampire, but she continued walking, not stopping until the autumn rain hit her face. The door slammed shut as she let it go, walking further into the night.

XxxxX

"That turned out good," Bones shook his head in disbelief.

"I have never seen Veritas so upset. The girl, _Stella_, must have meant something to her." Mencheres said.

Bones nodded.

"If had known maybe I would have been able to act faster and save her from being killed. But I did not think Veritas would have any interest in seeing her alive."

"Don't blame yourself Grandsire."

"Bloody hell," Ian exclaimed, "Didn't any of you see the look on her face when she spotted that shape shifter? Wouldn't you have guessed that she bloody meant anything to her then?"

Bones and Mencheres looked at him in surprise.

"If it would have been Denise, I'm sure you would have done anything in your powers to keep her safe for Charles sake," he snapped. "But apparently that doesn't apply to Veritas."

Bones eyebrows shot up. "Have you lost your bloody mind?"

"Let's not start a fight," Mencheres said in his usual calm voice. "We have caught the vampire and he will be answering to the law guardians. The vampire race are once more safe. It is time to go home."

"What about him?" Bones gestured for the still immobile vampire.

"I will take him, it is the least I can do for failing to save Veritas' friend."

XxxxX

Ian didn't need to look for long until he found her. But when he came nearer, he hesitated before walking all the way up to her. What was he supposed to say? He had never been good at being… well, nice. He didn't know where to start. It was so clear that she was hurting, and it made him uncomfortable.

"I can feel you standing there. Either get over here or go away," she said, still no hint of emotion in her voice.

Ian's lips twitched in a small smile as he crossed the lawn coming to a halt next to Veritas. He didn't speak, just stood there looking out at river below. They stood like that for a long time, the rain soaking their clothes but none of them seemed to notice or care.

"She was my sister," Veritas finally said.

Ian couldn't hide the surprise on his face as he turned to look at her. "Sister?" he repeated with a frown. "But she… I don't understand."

"She disappeared one day a very long time ago. I was looking for her but eventually had to give up. I assumed she was dead. Then I learned about Xander and what he did, and I started to investigate. I still didn't know he had Stella. After so many centuries I had no hope of ever seeing her again, I was just hoping to stop another breach of the law. And then the rest you already know," she explained.

"She's a shape shifter," Ian stated the obvious. "Branded by a demon?"

"Yes, I didn't know that either until lately. That is why I couldn't involve the rest of the guardians. They wouldn't have let her live, knowing what was in her blood and what vampires would do to get to it."

And not to mention that she had also been involved in Xander's affairs, she added in silence. Even though forced into it, she would still have been considered guilty.

"Bloody hell, Veritas… if I had known this…" his voice trailed off. What _if_ he had known? Would he have been able to do anything that Mencheres or Bones hadn't? Probably not.

"And I thought Denise was rare," he muttered.

"Who?"

Ian realized his mistake, and tried to smooth it over. "No one special."

Her eyes narrowed. "How _did_ you know about demon brands and shape shifters?" she asked suspiciously. "Ian you can only have this knowledge if you have had personal experience with that. You know it is illegal to…"

"So do you poppet, and you are a law guardian. So don't criticize me."

She sighed, knowing he was right. "Fine, I'll let it go, this time."

"That's my girl," Ian grinned, wrapping an arm around her shoulders pulling her closer to him. "I'm sorry about what happened to your sister."

Veritas sighed. "Thank you." She let her head lean against Ian's shoulder, for the moment not bothering to hide behind that icy façade as she usually did. Held back tears sprung to her eyes, rolling down her cheeks in silent drops of pink.

Ian could feel the sadness radiating off of her, even though he didn't see the tears. And as he stood there once again clueless of what to do, he felt oddest twinge of pain stab through his heart. It surprised him so much he almost gasped.

"Veritas," he whispered her name like a sigh.

"Ian," she whispered just as low. "I'm glad you came with me today."

"I'm glad to," he murmured, finally moving to enfold her in his arms. She let him hold her, shifting so her face was pressed against his chest, her arms circling around him.

XxxxX

TBC


End file.
